Firefighters finishing up work on Madre Fire north of Azusa

A DC-10 drops fire retardant on a ridge Tuesday in efforts to battle the Madre Fire in the mountainous terrain north of Azusa. About 268 acres burned northwest of Highway 38 and Ranch Road. (Photos by Walt Mancini/Pasadena Star-News)

Firefighters had all but finished their work Thursday on a 268-acre brush fire that has burned since Monday, officials said.

Containment of the Madre Fire, which ignited Monday evening at the northern end of Azusa and extended into the Angeles National Forest, remained at 90 percent Thursday morning, U.S. Forest Service Fire Information Officer Nathan Judy said.

Though the region saw some rain overnight, it amounted to only drizzle in the fire area, Judy said.

“It didn’t do a whole lot,” he said.

Nonetheless, about 180 firefighters who remained assigned to the fire continued making steady progress as the completed the last portions of containment lines around the wildfire.

No active flames had been observed since Tuesday evening, Judy said.

Firefighters worked on the ground Wednesday and Thursday, as water and fire retardant drops from aircraft were no longer necessary, he said. A helicopter remained at the scene to assist firefighters in getting to hard-to-access areas.

A helicopter flight using infrared imaging overnight found three smoldering stump holes in a remote section of forest, which firefighters promptly doused with water, Judy said.

Firefighters remained on-schedule to fully contain the fire, he added. “We’re looking at 100 percent (Friday).”

San Gabriel Canyon Road, which has been open only to local residents since the fire ignited, was reopened to the public Wednesday evening, according to the California Highway Patrol.